


i did everything for new york

by ofthesun



Series: endings are always bittersweet, but this one left a bad taste in my mouth [7]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: College, College Applications, Gen, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 22:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11564925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofthesun/pseuds/ofthesun
Summary: Alana awaits a letter from her dream school on early decision day.





	i did everything for new york

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my July song ficlet project, in which I took [the last lines of my top ten albums on last.fm](https://www.last.fm/user/lxllabies/library/albums?date_preset=ALL_TIME) and wrote ficlets inspired by them. This one is from [The Human Condition](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg67JLttWVw) by Jon Bellion.
> 
> I am 110% projecting in this and I'm not even sorry about it. Also, do yourself a favour and listen to the linked song, it's one of the most epic things you will ever hear and is comparable to Non-Stop from Hamilton.

The letters start coming in on a Wednesday in December. It's early decision day. Almost everyone in Alana's first period class has heard back from their top choice schools by morning, everyone except Alana and the three other girls who applied early at Ivy Leagues. They're all doomed to wait longer than everyone else.

The results for most of her classmates are pretty evenly split down the middle - about the same on rejections and acceptances. It does nothing to ease Alana's nerves, biting at her nails, fidgeting, and checking her phone every two minutes for the email. It's not there, not yet. Matt, who got into MIT, tries to calm her down.

"You know, it's not the end of the world if you don't get in there, you know?" he says, in his best attempt at a soothing voice, "You still have lots of other schools you applied to. You'll get into _somewhere_ good, no matter what." She nods quickly, chewing at her lip. He's just trying to be helpful, and she knows he's doing his best, but it still doesn't really help. She knows she can get into other schools, but it's not - not like that. She only applied to the rest of the schools to get the college counselor off of her back. She doesn't want to go to any of them. She's spent the last four years of her life channeling all of her energy into classes, grades, internships, community service, and resumes, all of it, for this.

"It _is_ the end of the world," Alana whines at the lunch table, "but he doesn't get that, because he never had his heart set on any school, and he only decided he wanted to try for MIT last year."

"You're being overdramatic," Tay says, waving her hand dismissively. She bites into a carrot stick and returns to reading her copy of _The Odyssey_. Alana huffs. She doesn't even understand how Tay can be so collected about all of this when her decision hasn't come back either, and Tay's been talking about going to Princeton since Obama started campaigning in 2007. If anything, Tay should feel her on this.

The two girls from Alana's first period who were going for Harvard's decisions come back in fourth period. Neither of them got in.

Tay's decision comes in the form of a phone call from her mother shortly after the Harvard girls, hysterical as she holds the envelope from Princeton proclaiming her acceptance. Everyone in their social circle has gotten their decision by that point - everyone except Alana.

And then, two minutes left of seventh period, the email shows up on Alana's phone. The subject line, congratulations.

She's going to Columbia.


End file.
